1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dental hygiene device, and more particularly to a syringe for deliverying a stream of water for cleaning the teeth and gums of a user while showering.
2. Description of Prior Art
Numerous methods and apparatus have been suggested for cleaning the teeth and gums by using a jet stream of water.
One widely accepted system involves the use of a pulsating jet of water fed to a hand held syringe by an electrically driven pump placed beside a bathroom sink. This system requires a relatively expensive electrically driven pumping mechanism and the use of space adjacent the sink or water basin.
Therefore, it has been suggested that it would be less time consuming and less expensive to clean one's teeth and gums with a stream of water in a shower stall rather than over a sink. Different forms of apparatus designed to utilize an oral syringe in a shower are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,043,337; 4,265,229; 4,564,005; and 4,793,331. However, each of these systems requires a valve at the shower head to divert and redirect the stream of water through the syringe. For disabled persons in a wheelchair or for short people this is a distinct disadvantage negating their use of the device because they cannot reach the valve. Further, diverting the stream at the shower head results in stoppage of the shower flow altogether, so that while the stream is used for teeth or gum cleaning, it cannot be used as a body cleaning unit. These prior art devices are also not readily subject to disassembly to replace worn or inoperable parts. This invention overcomes these deficiencies of the prior art.